How We Got To Where We Are
by AnAverageGirl15
Summary: A series of one-shots of how Oliver and Felicity got to be the family they are. Follow-up to "These Quiet Moments" and "Rise From the Ashes". Olicity
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: And so begins a series of one-shots. These are in no specific order. I will be jumping around throughout their years together. Before they were a couple to moments like this chapter. Feel free to leave prompts for me on what you would like to see. I already have a few chapters lined up, but I'm happy to hear what you guys want. I'll try to do as much as I can. This chapter is from this idea: **_**Oliver can't always protect his family. Pregnant Felicity gets hurt.**_** Get your tissues ready again. My muse apparently loves to hurt these two. I swear the next chapter is full of fluff and laughs. I hope I capture these two properly. I try my hardest and even though I never feel like I'm doing them justice, your comments otherwise are all the encouragement I need to continue writing. So please leave them!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly own nothing.**

Felicity gently ran her fingers down her dress as she got ready to slip it on. She and Thea had shopped all day for this dress (more Thea than Felicity, but she liked to indulge that woman's love of clothing and everything retail). The moment Thea saw it she knew it was the one. Not only did it highlight Felicity's natural hair color (which she decided to grow out since she learned she was pregnant), but it was Oliver's favorite color on her. The hunter green strapless satin floor length dress, slid against her skin like silk. Felicity had slid her fingers over the beading just above where her belly would curve out, loving the small details. Thea didn't even wait for her to try it on before she was telling the clerk that they were buying it.

Felicity huffed softly as she tried to zip on the dress all the way, failing to get it up the last few inches. Looking at herself in their bathroom mirror, she couldn't help but get aggravated with the inability to do the normal things she was able to do just a month prior. She loved being pregnant, for the most part. However, it was times like this that she was reminded of things that her 37 week belly wouldn't allow her to do. Sweeping her hair to one side, she called out, "Oliver, can you help me with my zipper?"

Oliver stepped into the bathroom, putting into place his final cufflink, when he looked up and stopped immediately. He always found his wife beautiful and he was always attracted to her (and he'd never admit it aloud, but even more so now that she was pregnant), but seeing her in that dress – a green so close to his Arrow suit – it did something to him. He wanted to do the exact opposite of zipping up that dress. He let his eyes slowly slide up her body before looking at her reflection in the mirror. He knew his pupils were as blown as hers as he stepped forward. He let one hand glide up her back as the other ran up the curve of her waist until his fingers skimmed over her fabric covered breast as he leaned down and placed soft kisses on her shoulder until he reached the shell of her ear. "You look beautiful."

He then gently tugged her earlobe with his teeth as his hand gently squeezed her already sensitive breast. Felicity gasped as she leaned her head back on his shoulder and wrapped one hand around his neck for support as her legs went weak. She said breathlessly, "Oliver." She felt him bunch up the fabric of her dress until his hand was able to make contact with her thigh, sliding it until he was teasing her inner thigh, as he continued to kiss her – leaving a mark on the back of her neck. She let out a moan as he teased her, his fingers skimming the outline of her underwear. He was just about to slip his hand underneath it when her phone rang loudly on the sink countertop. They both looked at each other in the mirror, Oliver letting her dress fall back down in place as Felicity slid her hand down from his neck before she looked down at her phone. Clearing her throat she answered as she put her phone on speaker, "Hi Thea."

"Hey Lis. Just calling to let you know that Roy and I are heading out and that I expect you and Ollie to be at this fundraiser shortly after us. I do not want to be there longer than necessary. So no hanky-panky."

Felicity flushed at that, trying to stop Thea from saying anything else that Oliver could hear, "Thea…"

Thea cut her off though with a laugh as she said, "Felicity, I know from firsthand knowledge – which I'm still trying to burn those images out of my memory, thank you – that you guys can barely keep your hands off each other. I swear I don't know how you two lasted as long as you did because…"

Oliver spoke over whatever Thea was about to say, "We'll be there in twenty minutes Thea. Bye." He heard her squeak in embarrassment before he hung the phone up, looking back up at Felicity who was trying to hold back a laugh. He shook his head as he finally slid her zipper up before he said, "It isn't funny."

Felicity finally did laugh softly as she turned around, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Considering that she just stopped us from doing exactly what she called to prevent, I think it is. Plus we have enough proof that we can't keep our hands off each other." Oliver let his hands slide down her sides until they rested against her rounded belly, staring at it intently, his thumbs rubbing slow circles against her dress. Felicity saw his brow furrow so she brought one of her hands up and started to gently smooth her fingers over his forehead. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Oliver continued to look down at her belly for a few more moments before he said softly, "I don't like that we have to bring you in on this mission. I don't want you two in any danger."

Felicity brought her hand behind his neck, letting her fingers weave through his hair as her other one covered one of his on her belly. "We're not in any danger. I'll be by you, Diggle, or Roy the whole time. You just need to drop a tracker on Giovanni and then we can leave. In and out. I'll only be on the comms for my own sanity, so I know _you_ don't get into any trouble."

Oliver sighed heavily, feeling their baby kick against his hand as he continued to rub her stomach. "I know. I still don't like it."

Felicity went up on her toes as she kissed him softly on the lips. "We'll be fine." Oliver nodded his head, knowing that in terms of missions this was the safest one to go on. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

* * *

Felicity sighed happily as they finally made it inside. Even though she had been with Oliver for well over six years, she still hadn't totally gotten used to all the cameras flashing and reporters shouting questions at them at every event they went to. As she and Oliver moved through the room, making their rounds, they both kept their eyes open for Giovanni. Diggle had left to get Roy set up with his comm, but Felicity could see him making his way back to them to be their 'bodyguard'.

The fundraiser continued on for another hour, before Giovanni came. Felicity and Oliver were dancing when Roy came on the comms, "He's here."

Oliver drew her closer to him as he scanned the entrance points, before landing on Giovanni. "I see him." He looked down at Felicity, worry plain in his eyes before he placed his hand on the small of her back and they started to make their way through the crowd.

Roy, Thea, and Diggle were waiting for them at the bar as they made their way to them. Felicity felt Oliver wrap his arm around her waist, drawing her attention to him as he told her. "I want you to stay here with Roy and Diggle, okay? I need you safe." Felicity nodded her head, knowing that this was what he needed for him to focus. He then looked at Thea, "That goes for you, too." Oliver turned to Diggle and Roy, "You keep them safe."

Diggle nodded his head and told him seriously, "We got them Oliver. Don't worry." Oliver nodded once before turning to go in search of Giovanni. That's when they heard the gunshots. All three men formed a wall around Felicity and Thea, Oliver's body completely guarding Felicity, as people around them screamed.

Charlie, Felicity's usual bodyguard who picked up Thea that night, appeared next to them immediately, adding another body to their shield. The screams continued but no more gunshots were heard as Charlie told Oliver, "Sir, I have the cars waiting out back like Miss Queen asked. We should be able to get to them and out of here relatively quickly."

Oliver had to remember to thank Thea later for her forethought. He looked at Charlie and nodded his head, "Good. Take them and go." Charlie nodded, ready to escort them quickly and safely to their waiting cars.

However, Felicity didn't move as she grasped Oliver's arm and told him. "Diggle stays with you." Oliver shook his head, wanting the most protection he could give on her, but Felicity stood her ground. "I won't budge on this. I need to know your safe and someone else has your back."

Oliver clenched his jaw but looked up at Roy as he said sternly, "You keep her safe. Don't leave her side for one moment." Oliver then looked back at Felicity as he said, "I'm right behind you by only a few minutes." He then kissed her on the forehead before he motioned for Charlie and Roy to guard her and then he was off running in the other direction to get their tracker on Giovanni.

They made it to their car quickly with Felicity sliding in first, Thea right after her and Roy closing the door shut as Charlie started up the engine. Thea asked quietly, "I don't understand. Why'd Ollie stay?"

Felicity grabbed her hand as she told her, "It's easier for him to slip in the tracker this way. Giovanni will be distracted and won't be paying attention to Oliver. He'll be right behind us, don't worry. Everything will be okay." She squeezed her hand reassuringly as Charlie slowed to a stop at a red light. As they stopped she heard Oliver over the comms tell her that he was on his way. She sighed in relief and smiled at Thea, "He just said he's on his way. See nothing to worry about." Silently motioning for Roy to hand her his comm, she took hers out and turned them off before placing them in their case inside her purse. As they started moving forward into the intersection, Felicity turned to tell Thea about having that movie night they had been planning when she heard Charlie swear loudly, accompanied by the sound of metal crushing metal. Then everything went black.

* * *

Oliver slid into the back seat of the car as Diggle started to drive away. He looked down at his watch, seeing that he was only a couple minutes behind Felicity and Thea. Giovanni had been so distraught at trying to get to his own car, that he didn't even notice Oliver bump into him – slipping the tracker and bug underneath his lapel. He said over the comms, "It's done. We're heading out."

He and Diggle shared a look as they heard Felicity sigh in relief and say, "He just said he's on his way. See nothing to worry about." And then they heard the telltale sound of her disconnecting their comms. Oliver sighed in relief, happy that Felicity hadn't been hurt. He had found out in passing that the gunshots had been directed at a dirty politician who had been in attendance. No one else had been hurt. Oliver was just about to pull out his phone to call in an order of Chinese food that he knew Felicity would be craving once they got home, when Diggle suddenly slammed on the brakes as he said, "What the hell?"

Oliver leaned forward as he looked out the front window. "What happened?"

They were at least fifteen or twenty cars back from the intersection, but Diggle could see smoke rising in the air. "I think there was an accident."

Oliver felt his heart drop as he quickly unbuckled his seat belt. "Felicity." He opened up the car door and started to run toward the accident, knowing that his worst fear was becoming reality. He started to run faster as he saw the license plate of a car that was in lying on its side. It was the one Charlie always drove. "Felicity!"

People were already out of their cars, on phones calling for help, or helping the few people they could get out of their cars. Oliver counted at least six cars that were damaged, but he was solely focused on getting to his family. A few people shouted at him to not go there, that help was on its way, but Oliver ignored them as he got to the car and shouted, "Felicity! Thea! Roy!"

He heard a muffled cry and immediately hoisted himself on top of the car, looking through the doors windows. Thea cried out softly, "Ollie, help."

Oliver looked down and saw both Thea and Roy only being held in by their seatbelts and Felicity lying unmoving against the door crushed against the ground. Looking at Charlie, he saw that he was already too late for him. He looked at Thea and Roy again as he tried to see the fastest and safest way to get them out. "I'm here, Thea." He heard Diggle come running up to them then as he spoke to Roy who just got out of his seatbelt, "Roy, grab my hand." Oliver outstretched his hand through the broken window, feeling Roy firmly grasp it, before he lifted him out of the car.

As Roy jumped down, Oliver focused on Thea. "Thea I need you to focus okay. I want you to grab onto my hand and then unbuckle your seatbelt. I'm going to pull you out."

Thea shook her head though as she looked down at Felicity. "But Felicity. She's not moving. Ollie you need to help her."

Oliver reached down with his hand as he said, "I know, Thea. But I need to get you out first before I can help her. Grab onto my hand." Thea looked down one last time before grabbing hold of Oliver's hand and unbuckling her seatbelt. Working quickly, Oliver lifted her out and shouted out, "Digg!"

Diggle shouted back, "I got her. Go. Go!"

Oliver braced himself as he gently let himself slide down into the car. Crouching down in front of Felicity, he looked her over, taking in all her injuries. He looked up to where he had come from and immediately knew that he wasn't going to be moving her that way. Taking off his suit jacket, he placed it over her head before he stood up and grabbed hold of the frame of the broken window above him. Lifting himself up, he swung his legs forward into the rearwindow. Oliver continued to do that a few more times and by the fifth time, as he let out a scream of rage, the window gave way and was kicked away. "Digg! Roy! I need your help."

Both of them appeared by the newly opened window as Oliver quickly cut away at Felicity's seatbelt. "Help me carry her out." Diggle crouched down and started to gently grab her from underneath her armpits as Oliver supported her legs and back. Roy took over supporting her head and shoulders as Diggle slid the rest of her body out. Oliver quickly slid out from the car, picking Felicity up and out of the care of Roy and Diggle as he tried to get as far away from the wreckage as he could. He felt his arm that was tucked underneath her legs, slowly begin to dampen.

Oliver gradually lowered himself down to the ground, needing to see exactly what was wrong with his wife. Just as he let go of her legs, giving him the ability to look at his sleeve – it was stained with blood – Felicity started to come to. "Oliver."

He cupped her face as she focused on him. "I'm here. I've got you."

She looked confused before pain filled her eyes as she gasped, clutching her belly. Her eyes slid shut as she curled her body into his chest, moaning in agony. "Oliver, the baby. Something's wrong."

Oliver brought his hand to rest on her belly, trying to bring her whatever comfort he could. "You both are going to be fine. The ambulance is on the way."

Felicity clutched at his shirt as the pain increased. She whimpered softly, "It hurts." Oliver drew her closer to him, not knowing what he could do to help her. He almost cried out in relief as he heard sirens coming toward them. Looking up he saw squad cars, fire trucks, and ambulances making their way through the stopped cars.

He could see Diggle running over and waving one toward them. Oliver looked down again and whispered to Felicity, "Help is almost here. Everything is going to be fine."

The ambulance drove up as close as it could before the medics jumped out and were accessing the scene. Oliver tried to stand up but Felicity's cry of pain stopped him. He started to shout at them, "Over here!"

He saw Diggle talking to them and motioning over to Felicity. One of the medics yelled at her partner and then she was running toward them. He tossed her bag to the ground as she crouched down. "My name is Samantha. What's yours?"

Felicity continued to clutch at her belly as she answered, "Felicity. Please, help. It hurts."

Samantha started flashing a light in Felicity's eyes as she asked, "Felicity, what hurts the most?"

Felicity cried softly as she said, "My abdomen. You have to help our baby."

Oliver felt her hold on him tighten as the medic started touching her belly. Oliver kissed Felicity's forehead before he told Samantha, "She's bleeding too."

Samantha took in the blood staining Felicity's dress before she asked, "How far along are you, Felicity?"

Felicity groaned again as she answered, "37 weeks."

Samantha's partner arrived with the stretcher as she told them, "Felicity, we need to get you on this stretcher. Can you let us do that?"

Felicity nodded and Oliver took that as his cue to gently pick her up as he stood. He placed her down on it, immediately grabbing her hand while his other one went to rub against her forehead, as they strapped her in. Then they were moving quickly to the ambulance. Oliver let go of her hand as they pulled the stretcher in the back, Felicity crying out at the loss. He jumped in and quickly took hold of it again. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Samantha slammed the doors shut as her partner started to drive off. Felicity couldn't help the tears that rolled down her face as she clutched at Oliver's hand. "Oliver, I'm scared. The baby."

Oliver wiped at the tears as he fought to keep his own in. "You'll both be fine, okay." Felicity bit her bottom lip as she sobbed softly, nodding her head.

Samantha started to take Felicity's blood pressure as she told her partner, "Call ahead. Tell them we have a 37 week pregnancy in a MVA, signs of placental abruptio. Responsive but bleeding. Fetal movement noted." She took off the cuff from around Felicity's arm as she spoke to her, "Felicity, we're almost to the hospital. But I need to check you for any other injuries." She started to look at her head wound and smaller lacerations along her arm.

Oliver brought the hand he held up to his lips and kissed her fingers as he continued to stroke her hair, wishing he could do more to help. The ambulance came to a stop and Samantha threw open the back doors, her partner already starting to bring the stretcher out. Following them out of the ambulance, Oliver continued to hold on to Felicity as they made their way through the automatic doors. Doctors and nurses met them there, Samantha telling them, "MVA. Female, 37 weeks pregnant. Complaints of abdominal pain. Vaginal bleeding and her uterus is rigid. Fetal movements noted. Blood pressure elevated. Head trauma, possible concussion."

The doctor took hold of the stretcher as she yelled out, "Let's take her to Trauma 1." She then looked at Oliver and asked, "Who are you?"

Oliver watched helplessly as they wheeled away from him into a restricted area, her hand slipping from his. "I'm her husband. Oliver Queen." Her heard Felicity cry out for him and he looked at her retreating form, desperately wanting to go to her.

The doctor paused very briefly at his name before telling him, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait out in the waiting area, Mr. Queen. We'll come get you as soon as we can." And then she was running to catch up to Felicity.

Oliver stood in the hallway not knowing what to do. He was just about to turn around to head to the waiting area when a nurse came out running, "Mr. Queen! Come with me." Oliver hurriedly followed her through two sets of doors before they arrived at a room filled with medical staff. The nurse pushed her way through, with Oliver right behind her.

The doctor looked up at their arrival, Oliver going to Felicity's side, grabbing her hand. The doctor told the couple, "Mr. and Mrs. Queen, we need to perform an emergency c-section. The placenta, which provides everything your baby needs, has separated. That's what's causing the bleeding. But right now, your baby isn't getting the proper oxygen it needs."

Oliver squeezed Felicity's hand as he said, "Whatever you need to do, do it."

The doctor nodded and started giving orders to the surrounding staff before she turned back to Oliver, "You can come with us." They were then rushing down the hallway into a waiting elevator, as the doctor told him, "We'll have you change into some scrubs as we prepare Felicity. The nurse will show you into the room once you're done." The elevators door slid open and as they rolled Felicity away, a nurse took hold of Oliver's arm and led him to the dressing area.

Oliver quickly changed out of his clothes, leaving them in a pile on the ground as he pulled on the scrubs. As he stepped out of the room, the nurse handed him a cap and mask for him to put on before she was leading him into the delivery room. As he stepped through he could see that they already had a drape over Felicity belly, blocking her view of everything. They guided Oliver to her head, cautioning him to not touch anything by the doctors. As soon as Felicity saw him, she cried out softly, "Oliver." He immediately started stroking her hair, sitting down in the chair they provided for him, as Felicity spoke quietly, "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you."

Olive shook his head as he wiped away her tears. "This isn't your fault. It was an accident, Felicity. None of this is your fault." He leaned down and kissed her forehead through his mask.

The doctor started asking for tools and Felicity grabbed hold of Oliver's hand. "I'm scared, Oliver."

Oliver tightened his hold on her hand, wiping at another tear that slid down her cheek as he told her softly, "So am I."

He leaned his forehead against hers, squeezing her hand, as the doctor said, "I see the head." Without letting go of her hand, Oliver stood up and watched as the doctor grabbed hold of their baby by the neck and gently delivered it. Happy tears filled his eyes as the doctor announced, "It's a boy."

Felicity cried out softly, as she happily said, "We have a son." But the one sound they were expecting to come never came. Felicity tugged at his hand as her voice changed into worry, "Why isn't he crying? What's wrong?"

Oliver watched as they cut the cord and one doctor hurriedly brought the baby to a small table, suctioning out his mouth. He looked at the doctor who was still working at helping Felicity, "What's going on?" He looked down as he heard Felicity cry out softly. He stroked her hair as he told her, "Everything's going to be okay."

Felicity shook her head as she tried to get a look at what was happening to her son. "Oliver…"

Oliver watched as her eyes slid closed and machines around her started beeping. Her hand went limp in his as a nurse shouted, "She's flat-lining."

Another nurse took hold of Oliver's arm and told him, "Mr. Queen, we need you to leave. I'm sorry."

Oliver shook his head as he tried to get back to his wife. "No. Felicity!"

The nurse told him sternly, "Mr. Queen, you can't be in here now. We need to help your wife." With that she gently pushed him out of the room.

A few moments later another nurse came out of the room and talked softly, "I'll walk you to the waiting area."

Oliver shook his head though as he tried to see what was happening through the small window in the door. "What happened? What's wrong with my wife and son?"

The nurse looked at him with her own tears in her eyes as she said, "Sir, the doctors are trying everything they can. Right now, the best thing you can do is stay in the waiting room. We'll come get you when we have more news. Please, Mr. Queen."

Oliver let her guide him into the waiting room. She stood in the doorway as she told him again, "We'll come get you when we have more news to share." She then disappeared behind the door.

He stood looking at it for a moment before he heard, "Oliver, sweetheart?" Oliver took in a shuddering breath as he turned around to see his whole family waiting there. His mother was the closest one to him, having asked him the question, with Thea and Roy standing up from their seats and Diggle stood watch behind them. Moira didn't need him to say anything though as she looked at his eyes. Tears filled her own eyes as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her son, "Oh, Oliver."

Oliver closed his eyes as he fought for control of his emotions. He did wrap his around his mom though as he whispered, "He wasn't breathing." Moira leaned back and cupped his face as he went on, tears swimming in his eyes, "Felicity stopped breathing. I, I don't understand."

Moira brushed her thumb against his cheek as she said softly, "It'll all be alright." She watched as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep shaky breath. "Come Oliver, let's sit down." She guided him to the seats, gently pushing him to sit down. Taking his hand in hers, they both sat down, with Thea coming to his other side and taking that hand.

They stayed seated like that for another hour before the doctor came out. Oliver stood up and stepped forward, letting go of his mother's and sister's hand. The doctor looked at Oliver and his family behind him and did the best thing Oliver could ever wish for. He smiled. Oliver let out a happy sob as the doctor said, "They're both fine. Felicity is in recovery right now and your son is in the room with her. We were able to get the bleeding under control. She'll be weak for the next few days, but I'm positive your wife will make a full recovery. And your son just needed a little coaxing. He's breathing just fine now. He's a little early but otherwise he's a healthy baby."

Oliver's smile continued to grow as the doctor finished. "Can I see them?"

The doctor smiled, "Of course." He looked back at the rest of Oliver's group as he said, "But only you can come right now. I'm sorry. Once we move Mrs. Queen out of recovery, you'll be welcome to visit her." He motioned at Oliver, "Follow me."

Oliver followed him through the corridors coming to a private room, where the doctor slid the door open. Oliver stopped to shake the doctor's hand. "Thank you." The doctor smiled at him before he slid the door shut behind Oliver.

Oliver watched as Felicity turned away from looking at their son to look at him smiling. "Oliver."

He took four wide steps and was instantly by her side, cupping her face, as he gently kissed her. He pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers, as he said with a smile, "We have a son."

Felicity smile grew as she whispered back, "Yeah."

Oliver looked over at the small crib they had their son in, looking at his small chest rise and fall as he slept. He slowly stood back up, Felicity's hand clasped in his, as he made his way over to it. She let his hand slide out of hers as he stepped forward, gently picking him up. His son's face scrunched up at being moved, making a little squawking noise of discomfort. Oliver never heard a more beautiful sound. Cradling him in his arms, Oliver started to sway a little back and forth, "Shhh, its okay. Your okay."

He turned around to face Felicity, who was smiling at them. She said happily, "My boys."

Oliver smiled at her as he walked over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching as Felicity brought her finger to run against their son's cheek. His face scrunched up again, but this time his little hand came out to grab hold of it. Oliver stared in awe as he counted five little fingers. He let his finger gently run up his son's arm, saying softly, "We made this." They continued to watch as he yawned widely, letting go of Felicity's finger to bring his hand into his mouth and started to suck on it.

Felicity laid her head back on her pillow as she said sleepily, "I was thinking about his name." Oliver looked up at her as she gently rubbed at his arm and said tenderly, "How about Robert Thomas Queen?"

Oliver didn't know what to say to that. They had talked about naming their baby after his father if it was a boy, but they never decided on anything concrete. Oliver looked down at their son again, before he whispered, "I think it's perfect."

Felicity smiled as she leaned her head against his chest, slowly closing her eyes. "Me too." She let her fingers run over Robert's soft hair as she said affectionately, "Our son, Robert Thomas Queen."

**A/N2: I'm ending it there because I want to leave you all with warm happy feelings. Next chapter is about how Oliver and Felicity traumatize poor unsuspecting Roy while they 'train'. That should be up either tomorrow or Saturday.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Felicity should have known the moment that Diggle left for her and Oliver to train what it was going to lead to. It had been building for the whole day really, she was surprised they had last this long. She just didn't expect it to end with scarring Roy for life. It all started with her waking up late without her knowing it. Oliver had her pulled completely against him sometime during the night, molding her back to his front, letting her feel everything. Felicity sighed softly as she brought her hand to rest on Oliver's thigh as she pressed her butt back into him. Oliver woke up moaning, bringing his hand down to her pelvis, pressing her into him even more, lazily placing kisses on the back of her neck. Oliver just started to slip his hand down her underwear, when Felicity let her eyes flutter open slightly as she brought her head back to give him more access. That's when her eyes landed on the clock.

"Oh crap!" Flinging the blankets off of her and pushing Oliver's hand out of her way, Felicity jumped out of the bed, running into the bathroom. "I'm late. We're late! Why didn't the alarm go off? I can't be late. Not today. I have too much to do today and you have that conference. We're screwed, so screwed."

Felicity continued to babble to herself as she hurriedly got ready, thankful for showering the night before. Oliver groaned softly, letting his head fall into their pillows, before saying, "Felicity, come back to bed. It's okay if we're late. It's my company and you're my wife."

Felicity came out of the bathroom, fully dressed, with her toothbrush in her hand as she told him, "Firstly, no one knows that we're married. So that's a moot point. Secondly, you have a conference with Wayne Enterprises that we need not only for the company but to help us with looking into Bruce. And thirdly, I already have my plate full and I just know that Ed Mitchell is going to call me yet again to fix whatever he did under his desk just so he can look at my ass and I can't deal with all of that and be late. But I promise, tonight, when we get back here, I'm all yours. Okay?"

Oliver had progressively made his way toward her, through her speech, now standing directly in front of her. "Okay."

Felicity smiled up at him, breathing out a, 'Thank you' and leaned up to kiss him. Which had been a bad idea because, well, Oliver wasn't the only one left frustrated and wanting to finish what they had started. Felicity had to force herself to push against his chest as he pressed her into the doorframe, before she whispered, "You. Cold shower. Now."

Oliver let his head fall to her shoulder, before nodding and stepping back from her and turning to their shower. Felicity quickly turned around as he started to pull down his boxers, knowing that if she continued to watch, they would both be very late.

Finishing up in the bathroom after applying her makeup, she went to her jewelry case. Slipping on her engagement ring, Felicity then clasped her necklace, tucking it underneath her shirt. They had only been married for two weeks, deciding on a quiet and intimate wedding. Just Oliver's mother and sister, Roy, her parents, Diggle, Carly, and the judge who married them knew about it. The press hadn't even found out about it. Which Felicity found it a miracle by itself. They had spent three glorious days in Oliver's apartment in Paris for their honeymoon. They only came out on the last day so Felicity could actually see the sights. When they had come back, the press ran with the story that they went to Paris so she could pick out her wedding dress and they didn't correct them. Oliver usually wore his wedding band on his right hand, while Felicity liked keeping hers on the necklace she just slipped on.

Stepping into their closet, she slipped on her shoes before grabbing her purse. She walked out just as Oliver stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped lowly on his hips. He wrapped one hand around her waist, stopping her from leaving the room. "Why don't you ride with me into work today?"

Felicity placed her hand on his chest, trying to keep some distance between them. She looked up at him as she said, "It's probably a bad idea."

Oliver smiled at her as he agreed. "Probably. But Digg will have a latte waiting for you."

Felicity bit her lip, knowing that she wouldn't be able to stop and get her usual caffeine fix if she drove herself. "That's playing dirty. You know I can't say no to caffeine."

Oliver laughed softly as he said, "I know."

As he leaned down to kiss her she playful said, "Bastard."

* * *

Felicity took another sip from her latte, moaning softly as the warmth spread through her body. She looked at Diggle in the rearview mirror as she said, "You are a godsend Diggle. This is just what I needed." Diggle shook his head as he chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road.

Oliver on the other hand had been focused on her lips after hearing her moan. He felt the lingering sexual frustration from earlier spike again as he saw her tongue dart out to wipe at a drop of latte. He brought his hand to rest on her knee, finding the one spot that always made her gasp.

She gasped softly as he rubbed his thumb slowly on the inside of her knee, almost dropping her cup of coffee. She tried to say it as a warning to stop him, but it came out a little too breathless as Felicity said softly so Digg wouldn't hear her, "Oliver."

He gently stroked up her leg and she tried to spread them wider, but only by a few inches, her skirt stopping any other movement. She made a noise of frustration, causing Oliver to laugh softly. She glared at him and decided to give as much as she got. Placing her hand on his thigh she inched it higher until she non-discreetly cupped him through his pants. Oliver's head fell back against the headrest as he bit down on his lip to stop a moan from coming. He tightened his hand on her thigh as she worked him. At one point he even lifted his hips a little, trying to find some relief. But she quickly withdrew her hand.

Oliver retaliated in like, by drawing her closer to him before he slipped his hand higher underneath her skirt, skimming the center of her underwear, while he cupped the back of her neck with his other hand as crushing his lips against hers. He nipped at her bottom lip, before soothing it with the tip of his tongue and then met hers as he deepened the kiss. Oliver was just about to drag her onto his lap when they heard Diggle clear his throat.

Felicity jumped away from Oliver, hitting her elbow against the door as she gasped for air. She started to blush as Diggle said, "We're here sir." Felicity readjusted her skirt, smoothing away any wrinkles, before she adjusted her glasses. Looking up she saw Oliver clenching and unclenching his fist as Diggle stepped out of the car and came around to Oliver's door.

Felicity knew she was still blushing as Oliver leaned his head back and breathed out slowly, finally able to get control over his body. He turned his head and smiled at her. She smiled back before scooting toward him and gently wiping away some of her lipstick from his lips as she whispered, "I won't be able to look Diggle in the eye for a week now. I can't believe we did that in front of him."

Oliver chuckled softly at that. He grabbed her wrist and kissed the inside of it tenderly, before looking up at her and saying, "It was more behind him. And he's seen us do worse."

Felicity huffed softly as she pushed at his shoulder. "You're incorrigible."

Oliver chuckled as he tapped on the window, letting Diggle know that they were ready. The door opened and Oliver slipped out of the car, offering his hand for Felicity to take. She took it and got out of the car, not looking Diggle in the eyes as she said, "Thanks again for the latte and the ride."

Oliver placed his hand on the small of her back as he said to Diggle, "I'll call you when we're ready to head out. Don't forget about the training. I want him worn out before I train with him."

Diggle nodded his head, knowing that Oliver was going to push Roy to his limits and beyond. It was his third week of training with them and the boy still had a lot to work on. He had a lot of potential but he also had a problem with following orders. If he was going to be part of their team, Roy needed to realize that he needed to listen to Oliver and Diggle, even if that was only in training. Oliver had never trained with Roy, Diggle having started out training him to see how much and what they needed to work on while Oliver observed.

Oliver was punishing Roy today for something he had said in anger the day prior as Oliver told him how to defend himself better. Both Diggle and Felicity knew that Oliver was going to make the kid pay for saying that he didn't understand what it was like in the real world where you had to fight to survive and the way it was looking, Diggle was more likely Green Arrow than he was.

Felicity bit her lip as Diggle nodded his to Oliver, feeling slightly sorry for Roy. She liked the kid and she had been the one to convince Oliver to bring him on their team. Now she wasn't so sure anymore. She had thought that since Oliver and Roy had started finally getting along without either Thea or her having to intervene, that maybe it was time. Oliver had even told at one point during Roy's training that he had seen potential and even some of himself in the kid. But she didn't have time to tell Digg not to go to hard on him, because he was already walking to the other side of the car as Oliver guided her into Queen Consolidated. "I know I probably shouldn't say anything about it, but don't you think that what you're planning for Roy is a little extreme?"

Oliver drew her closer so he could whisper in her ear, "The kid needs to know what it feels like to actually fight for his life. I want Digg to wear him out so that when I train with him he'll be working on pure will power."

They stepped onto the elevator, and he was thankful that no one else got on as Felicity said, "I know, but he's just a kid."

"Felicity, if Roy wants to be part of this team he needs to learn how to survive. He hasn't experienced that yet. He doesn't know what it's like to be so tired that your body is giving out on you, but you know you can't stop or else you die. I want him to see exactly what that's like. Okay?" Oliver was looking at her so intensely that she couldn't do anything but nod. She knew most of what had happened to him on the island. He had told her small things at first, slowly opening up to her more and more. She knew that there were still things he wasn't ready to reveal and she wasn't going to push him. In time he would tell her, when he was ready. But she also knew that Oliver knew what he was doing and if this was going to help Roy then she was okay with it.

Trying to make things a little lighter she changed the topic. "So, lunch. I say we try that new Chinese place that opened up a few blocks down. What do you think?"

Oliver sighed in relief, happy to see that Felicity understood. "I'll come by around 12 and get you."

* * *

Felicity muttered underneath her breath as she continued to fight with the tangle of cords. She just needed to replace one and she was going to have a stern talk with Julia, the IT tech that was responsible for this system in her office. It was deplorable that any self-respecting tech would let this happen. She leaned over the desk, trying to reach for said cord to see how much more needed to be untangled, when she heard someone come in. She looked back quickly to see Oliver before telling him, "Give me a sec. I just need to get this." She tugged one last time and shouted out triumphantly as the cord came loose and she was able to pull it out of the tangle. Turning around, holding the cord up in victory, she smiled at Oliver. Felicity sucked in a sharp breath though and felt heat shoot down to her core as she looked at Oliver's eyes.

His pupils were dilated and his irises were a dark cobalt. He slowly closed the door, the click echoing through the room. Felicity felt her breath quicken with each step he took toward her, until he was almost completely pressing her into the desk behind her. He leaned down, his lips whispering against hers, as he said huskily, "I've always wanted to do this."

With that he was hungrily kissing her as he grabbed her ass and lifted her up off the ground, settling her on the desk behind her. She felt her skirt ride up her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist as he leaned them down. Oliver started to unbutton her shirt, kissing his way down her neck, giving Felicity the chance to say, "This is a bad idea. We could get caught."

Oliver nipped at her pulse point before saying, "Probably. It's a good thing I know the boss."

Felicity moaned as he cupped her bra covered breast, "Most definitely." She then dragged his face back up to her, kissing him passionately.

She had just unbuckled his belt when they heard the door open and someone say, "Julia, I need your…Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Felicity actually squeaked in horror as Oliver stood up abruptly, turning around to face the person whilst blocking their view of Felicity. The woman, who Felicity knew was Andrea (another IT tech under her supervision), said hurriedly as she turned around to look away, "I'm so sorry Mr. Queen. And don't worry I won't say anything about this to anyone. Especially Felicity. My lips are sealed. I like my job very much. Please don't fire me."

To Felicity's horror, Julia walked in then and looked at everyone in confusion. "What's going on?"

Felicity quickly button her top, fixing her skirt, as Andrea asked nervously, "Wait, if that's not you, Julia, then who's…"

Julia shook her head, "What? I wouldn't, I don't, Felicity was supposed to replace a wire for me while I dealt with something else."

Andrea looked at Oliver and realization dawned on her. "Oh my god, I'm so fired." Felicity peaked out from behind Oliver's shoulder, watching as Andrea blushed profusely. She tried to apologize to them, "I'm so sorry. But you're Oliver Queen and I just assumed. But that doesn't matter. I shouldn't have. Please don't fire me."

Felicity smoothed her hair as she stepped out from behind Oliver, trying to be as professional as possible. She looked at Oliver, who was acting as cool as ever, like this happened to him all the time – which it probably had before his time on the island. She whispered to him, "Oliver, your belt." Oliver looked down, realizing that it was in fact unbuckled. As he buckled it, Felicity turned to her two employees, "Julia, I got the cord out. Please keep your cords more organized. It took me way too long to untangle that. And Andrea, you're not fired. Just, knock next time. Now, if you'll excuse us." Taking Oliver's hand Felicity stepped around them and out of the office. The moment they were out of sight from them Felicity started rambling, "I can't believe that just happened! That's twice today. I swear if that happens again I will permanently have a blush." As they stepped around a corner, she slapped his chest, "You need to keep your hands to yourself for the rest of the day mister. I will not let that happen again."

Oliver pulled her into his side as they came up to the elevators, "Felicity, breathe." She took in a deep breath as he went on as the stepped into the elevator with a few more people, "I'm sure this will blow over before we even get back from lunch." Felicity glared at him, knowing for a fact that this wasn't going to blow over anytime soon. They'd probably be the talk of the IT department for the rest of the month.

* * *

Felicity listened absentmindedly to Diggle and Roy train as Oliver told her over the comms, "I'm heading back now. Let Digg know."

Swiveling in her chair Felicity looked at Diggle telling him silently that Oliver would be back in ten minutes. As she turned back, she heard him intensify his attack on Roy. The kid yelled at him to slow down as Felicity told Oliver, "He knows and now Roy is yelling at him to take it easy. I don't know how much you're going to get out of him."

Oliver said gruffly, "He needs to learn."

Sighing, Felicity nodded her head to herself, before saying, "I know. I'll see you soon." Clicking off the comms, she started to shut down her systems, before heading toward the bathroom to change into her own training gear. During lunch Oliver had acquiesced to her being there and watching as he trained Roy.

Stepping out in of the bathroom she saw Oliver putting away his bow, his muscles tense. Coming up to him, she spoke softly so only he could hear her, "Are you sure about this?"

Unzipping his jacket, he said stoically, "It's the only way for him to learn."

As he took off his jacket and placed it on the table, Felicity let her hand slip underneath his shirt resting it against his back. She gently traced one of his scars as she said, "I meant, are you going to be okay? I know that this will probably bring back memories."

Oliver leaned against the steel table, letting his head hang a little, knowing she was right. It was already happening. He was going to use some of the same tactics Slade had used to make him into the man he was today. Turning slowly, he brought an arm around her waist and drew her against his chest, kissing her forehead. "I'll get through it."

Felicity tightened her hold on him as she whispered, "I'll be here if you need me." Taking a step back, she cupped his face before leaning up and kissing him softly. He smiled at her, rubbing small circles on her back, thankful that she understood him so well. Grabbing his change of clothes, he kissed her one more time, before heading to change.

Felicity made her way to the mats, watching as Diggle told Roy, "Focus. Rotate your hips more."

Within a few moves Roy was slammed down to the ground. Gasping for air, he shouted, "I'm done. I can't take anymore."

Diggle was about to tell him to take a break when Oliver's voice came from the shadows. "Do it again."

Roy rolled over and pushed himself up before saying in outrage, "Are you kidding me? I've been at this for hours."

Felicity could only see the outline of Oliver in the shadows as he placed a bag on the ground and crossed his arms. "Again." Roy clenched his jaw, before facing Diggle. Oliver nodded at Diggle and he attacked. Roy blocked each hit, giving Diggle a few blows himself, but then Diggle swiveled with his hips like Oliver showed him and knocked Roy back down, the air rushing out of the kid's lungs. Breathing heavily Roy heard Oliver say what appeared to be more angrily, "Again."

Shaking his head, Roy shouted, "Are you trying to kill me?"

Oliver watched silently as Roy pushed himself up, wiping his brow. He started to walk the perimeter slowly, staying in the shadows as he spoke, "You told me yesterday that I don't know what it's like to fight to survive. That I haven't suffered like you have to know what true pain is."

Roy shouted in anger, "What, so this is punishment? You send Diggle to fight your battles for you."

Oliver stopped pacing as he turned to face Roy. "No. Now I'm going to show you what it's like to really fight for your life."

Roy snorted at that, still not truly believing Oliver was Green Arrow since he never saw him fight before. "Right. And you have so much knowledge in that?"

Roy saw Diggle cut him a look, but Oliver said eerily calmly, "I do. And now you start training with me." Oliver finally stepped out onto the mat, watching Roy's reaction to his scars. He knew Roy had never seen them before based off his comments and that Thea had never told him about the ones she did see when he first returned. Nodding at Diggle, he stepped toward Roy. "You say you know what it feels like to fight for your life. We'll see if that's true or not."

Roy clenched his fists as he continued to breathe heavily. He was still trying to process all of Oliver's scars, now seeing how wrong he had been. But never one to admit it, Roy waited until Oliver turned his back on him as he went toward his bag. He charged Oliver, ready to use the last bit of strength to knock him down and out. He wasn't expecting for Oliver to turn quickly, wrapping an arm around his neck and slamming him into the ground, while simultaneously pulling out a knife from somewhere and placing it against his throat, saying harshly, "Dead."

Pushing away from him and rolling to the side, Roy stood back up as Oliver lectured him, "Don't ever think you have the upper hand against your opponent." Roy wiped the sweat from his forehead again, feeling his legs shake in pure exhaustion. Oliver noticed it immediately and moved in.

He was slightly impressed that Roy deflected several of his blows before Oliver knocked him down again. Watching Roy get up slowly, limbs visibly shaking, he spoke in his Arrow voice, "You feel that. Your body is starting to give out on you. You're going to start moving slower, giving your opponent more opportunities to kill you."

Oliver saw anger rise in Roy as he pushed himself up completely, before saying hotly, "This isn't a fair fight. You haven't been training all day."

Cutting his eyes to Diggle, Oliver nodded at him, "No, I've been out on patrol, actually fighting to stay alive. But I'll make it a fair fight. Diggle and you against me."

Diggle stepped away from Felicity, who started to protest at that, but Oliver cut her a look and shook his head. Diggle stood next to Roy as he asked, "Are you sure about this Oliver? I'm getting pretty good at taking you down."

Oliver smirked, "Let's see about that." Diggle made the first move, which Oliver quickly deflected. Roy continued to watch as they fought for a good five minutes until finally Oliver flattened Diggle to his back. Not giving him any time to recover, Roy jumped in and started fighting Oliver. Remembering where he had seen Oliver put his knife, he quickly grabbed it, thinking that he would catch him off-guard. But as soon as he it pointed at Oliver's abdomen, Oliver grabbed his wrist, twisted it with his body and had the knife pressing up against Roy's neck as he said harshly, "Dead."

Roy pushed away from him as he said, "I give up."

Oliver stalked toward him as he said angrily, "There is no giving up out there. You give up and you die. You think you know what it's like to fight to survive? _This_ is what it feels like. I'm here to train you to push your body beyond its limits. To teach you how to work on pure will power to protect not just yourself but the rest of this team. If you want to be part of this team, you need to learn to never give up. So make your choice."

Roy swallowed thickly, seeing for the first time that Oliver really was Green Arrow. Looking at Diggle first, who was leaning against a table, then at Felicity, who was biting her lip, and finally at Oliver, he said seriously, "I want to be part of this team."

Oliver took a step back as he said evenly, "Then let me show you how to be." Stepping back, Oliver grabbed the steel bars from his bag, throwing two at Roy. He caught them, letting his hands tighten around the bars, taking in a deep breath. He needed to make up for a lot of things he had said, he knew that. He was now going to prove to Oliver he could do this. No matter what.

* * *

Felicity watched Roy stiffly walk toward the showers, needing to get ready for his shift at the bar upstairs. Biting her lip, she tried to not look worried for him. He had actually held up his own, although Oliver still had him falling to the ground more than she was sure Roy liked. But that's what training was for. Letting her eyes slide over to Oliver, she watched as he put away his equipment.

She had seen throughout the training session that Oliver's eyes were becoming more shuttered with every command he gave to Roy. She had wanted to stop it for Oliver's sake, knowing that he was most likely using things he had been taught on the island. Felicity knew, though, that they both needed this. Oliver needed it to help ease his demons for the island, while Roy needed it to help him prepare for this new life.

Stepping onto the mat, Felicity walked over to Oliver. She wasn't startled when he said without looking back at her, "You ready for your training?"

He stood up and turned to face her as she said softly, "Yeah, as long as you are."

Oliver tilted his head to the side and smiled at her affectionately before grabbing her hand and gently tugging her toward him. He hugged her as he whispered, "I'll be fine. Okay?"

Felicity hugged him back tightly, letting her ear rest over his heart. She listened to it beat for a few seconds before she said, "Okay." She felt Oliver kiss her on the top of her head, smiling at that as she pulled away from him. "What are we doing today?"

They started training shortly after that, Oliver showing her how to get away from someone who had her pinned down to the ground. Roy came out and headed toward the training mats. He wanted to ask Oliver when he wanted to train with him again, but he stopped as he realized that Oliver and Felicity were training. Roy watched for a few minutes as Felicity effectively worked through the routine, impressed at how good she actually was. Diggle walked over to him and said, "You better head up. They like to train alone."

Roy nodded, forgetting completely that he wanted to ask Oliver something. He walked with Diggle upstairs as Oliver and Felicity moved into a more combat training scenario.

Felicity felt Oliver grab her from behind and she immediately pushed her butt back and dropped down low before stomping her foot down on his and sliding the side as she kicked at the back of his leg. He went down, but her victory was short lived as she watched him roll over and swipe underneath her legs, knocking her down to the ground. Grunting in more anger than pain, Felicity prepared herself, knowing that Oliver as going to pin her down to the ground, letting her use the new move he taught her. What she wasn't prepared for was how forceful he pulled her legs up his own, sliding her butt so they were resting on his thighs as he leaned over onto his arms over her. She let out a slight gasp, knowing Oliver heard it, before looking into his eyes.

They were both breathing heavily, feeling the heat rise between them as they stayed completely still. Felicity watched as Oliver's eyes dilated slowly, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. She wrapped her legs around him, just like he showed her. Instead of rolling him over, she wrapped a hand behind his neck and pulled him down, kissing him slowly. Letting her one hand slide down his back, she allowed him to lift her, so that she was straddling his legs.

Oliver slid his hand underneath her shirt as she threaded her fingers through his hair. It quickly escalated as he pulled off her shirt and sports bra, trailing kisses down to her chest. Felicity moaned loudly as she felt his hand slip into her yoga pants. Pulling him down so that she was lying on her back, she tugged at his own pants, wanting the clothing gone. Oliver took advantage of the new position though and slid her pants down, quickly taking his off as well. They didn't need much time, the days pent up frustration coming back full force, before Oliver was moving inside her. Felicity moaned again before rolling both of them over so that Oliver was lying on his back. Oliver groaned loudly as she slowly slid down him, drowning out the sound of the door opening.

* * *

Roy had just finished talking with Thea about his day, leaving out the real reason why he was so sore, when he remembered that he needed to ask Oliver when he wanted to train again. Quickly heading to the club entrance of the Foundry, Roy stopped, remembering Diggle's warning to not disturb Oliver and Felicity while they trained, for anything. He brushed it off though, typing in the code and hurriedly walking inside. He heard Oliver groan and stopped. Roy couldn't believe Felicity had taken Oliver down and he hadn't been able to. And she made him groan in pain. Roy had to see this.

Quietly making his way down the steps, he continued to hear soft panting from both Oliver and Felicity as he drew closer to the training area. He just turned to corner, ready to praise Felicity for taking down Oliver when he got an eyeful. A very naked Felicity was straddling a very naked Oliver with her head thrown back as she screamed out her release, Oliver tightly holding her hips as he moaned out his own.

Roy's mouth dropped open for half a second before his brain finally computed what he was seeing and then he started to yell, "Oh my god!" Oliver reacted first, quickly sitting up so that he was blocking Felicity from Roy's view, as Felicity yelped in surprise, covering her chest with her arms and ducking her head into Oliver's chest.

Roy slapped a hand over his eyes and turned around quickly as he said, "This is like walking in on my parents doing it!"

Oliver glared at the kid, pulling off a pretty intimidating one for being completely naked and caught having sex, as he said, "What the hell are you doing here Roy?"

Not seeing Oliver's glare since he was turned away from them, Roy shouted back, "I thought you guys were training! I'll never be able to unsee that again. Oh my god."

Felicity blushed the deepest red she ever thought she could blush as Oliver said darkly, "What are you doing here Roy?"

Roy continued to keep his eyes covered as he answered, "I just wanted to know when you wanted to train again."

Oliver told Roy sternly, "Go back upstairs Roy. Now."

Roy was about to protest but then thought better of it since he definitely didn't want to look at the two of them again. He quickly retraced his steps and went up the stairs, knowing he was going to be scarred for life.

After hearing the door closed and the alarm activate, Felicity said in mortification, "I can't believe that just happened. Roy not only just saw me naked, but having sex. I never thought this would happen to me. I can't believe this happened. I won't be able to look at him without blushing ever again! Oh god! What if he tells Thea? She'd never let me live this down. She still teases me about my lack of a brain-to-mouth filter. This is terrible. I can't believe this just happened. I just…"

Oliver slid his hand down her back as he tried to stop her rambling, "Felicity. Breathe." She took in a deep breath as he told her, "I'll talk with Roy. He won't say anything about this."

Felicity internally rolled her eyes, knowing that that "talk" would basically be Oliver telling Roy that he never saw anything and to never mention anything to anyone ever. She settled with giving him an unimpressed look, but didn't argue the point with him. She really didn't want to have to talk with Roy herself, because that would open a whole other can of worms of embarrassing babble. She told him instead, "We really need to stop having our training sessions end like this."

Oliver's response was to lean in, a hand weaving through her hair, as he kissed her slowly. Pulling away he said, "If you want to, okay." He then kissed her again.

Felicity thought, _Okay, maybe I'll just make a sign for next time._

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long guys. My last semester started last week and I've just been crazy busy on the weekends as well. Heading out of town this weekend, so don't expect a new chapter for another week or two. Not sure which one I'll tackle next. It's either going to be with a jealous Oliver as he watches Felicity in a serious relationship or when the public find out that Oliver and Felicity are dating. Why don't you guys tell me which one you'd like to see more. Reviews are love and help feed the muse. As always thank you for your support and love.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry for the long break. I've been dealing with a lot of personal stuff. Both my parents are having some serious health issues and I'm in my last semester (physics board exam (GETTING MY LICENSE HOPEFULLY!) on October 12th) and just general depression on my part has really hindered the muse. I'm trying to work through it with writing and it's sorta helping. Expect an angst filled chapter to be next though. Fair warning. And no hints as to what it is until I post a preview via tumblr. Thanks for all the great support. And let me know what you guys think!

This is also my response to the most recent summerofolicity challenge (even though it's technically not summer anymore, whatever!) Without further ado!

**Most Eligible Bachelor…Off the Market?**

It appears that the notorious billionaire bachelor, Oliver Queen, is not single anymore. He has recently been spotted on several occasions with his longtime friend, Felicity Smoak, in more intimate settings. Recently pictured (see Page 10) were the two holding hands as they left _Lotus Leaf_, a well known Chinese Restaurant near Mr. Queen's club, _Verdant_. If that picture doesn't convince you that these two are an item now, another recent picture (see Page 11) was taken just last weekend at the Queen's annual fundraiser. The two were pictured dancing together as they shared a kiss. They obviously are not hiding their budding relationship, but we have to wonder why we are only just now finding out about this couple.

Our sources tell us that the two have been seeing each other for the past six months steadily. We were also able to glean why these two kept their relationship so private until recently. An employee at _Queen Consolidated, _who is supervised by Ms. Smoak, told us, "They've been friends for almost four years. A relationship itself is hard to maintain. Add the stress of the press and becoming a star over night, it's a lot to take in. They wanted to explore their relationship without any pressure from outside people. And if it didn't work out they wanted to be able to maintain that friendship without having everyone always thinking something else was going on behind closed doors. We all respected that. Now, though, they know how they feel and what they want from each other."

Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak became friends shortly after Oliver's return from being lost at sea for five years. We have seen these two together multiple times in the past four years (see Page 12) from hanging out at _Big Belly Burger_ to them leaving together from _Queen Consolidated_. It was previously rumored, when we first heard of their friendship, that they were definitely more than just friends. However, reliable sources denied any such relationship and just a week later Oliver was seen with a different beautiful blonde draped on his arm. So we've watched their friendship remain just so. We even pictured Felicity Smoak, just a few years ago, out on a date with Barry Allen before he left Starling City. She was even photographed a few times with her longtime ex-beau, Alexander Sanders. We were all quite surprised to learn of their sudden split after seeing him in a jewelry store buying what appeared to be an engagement ring just a week prior. We can only assume why they never got engaged since that was only nine months ago.

Either way, their friendship remained strong even while the Queen name was dragged through the mud after the devastating events in the Glades, for which Moira Queen was part of. Throughout the years we've even spotted Felicity with Oliver's little sister, Thea Queen, shopping together and even at _Verdant_. Just one month ago, Thea and Felicity were spotted at a launch party for a new perfume together. The two took several photos with each other, appearing to be having a good time with a lot of smiles and laughs (see Page 12). Moira Queen, only just returning to the states, was seen with Felicity and Oliver two weeks ago at _Des Souvenirs Inoubliables_ having lunch as a family. By the end of the meal, Moira was seen hugging her before leaving (see Page 10). It seems that the Queen family approves of Felicity.

It looks as if this isn't another on-again-off-again relationship Oliver Queen is notoriously known for. The most recent photo taken of the budding romance (see Page 10) shows the two just yesterday at the football game at Starling City Stadium, with bodyguard John Diggle and what appeared to be his own girlfriend, waiting in line. (Subtext on photo: Felicity Smoak was seen leaning into beau, Oliver Queen, trying to stay warm with her hands tucked into his jacket pockets, with his arm wrapped around her, while they waited in line. She appeared to be talking with Oliver's bodyguard, John Diggle's girlfriend (name unknown). The four seemed to be having a good time.) Although little is still known about these two, it appears Oliver Queen has finally found someone to tame the playboy in him. Could there be wedding bells in the future for this couple? Although Oliver's representatives have confirmed their relationship, they could neither confirm nor deny if there are any upcoming nuptials for this couple. We'll just have to keep a watchful eye out for any new rings.

~ Written by Amanda Hemming

Flipping through the last page of the article, Thea put down the magazine and said, "That's a lot better than I thought it was going to be."

Felicity sat back on the couch, sitting next to Thea, and squeaked out, "It could have been worse?"

Thea shrugged her shoulders as she said, "They could have said that Ollie was cheating on you. The way I look at it, it seems that they're all for you and Ollie being together, Lis."

Felicity shook her head as she looked back at the article and all the pictures of her that had been taken. "But they've been following us. They've been following me! I feel violated somehow. I knew that making our relationship public would bring out the cameras but I didn't think they had already been out! How do you handle it so well?"

Again Thea shrugged her shoulders as she popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "I'm used to it. Been dealing with it my whole life practically." Seeing Felicity's wide-eyed look as she continue to scan the pictures, Thea told her honestly, "Lis, it gets better. Easier even. It is hard at first, but after the first few rude encounters, they just sorta fall to the back. Plus, you have me and Oliver to help you through it. And it helps that you aren't as crazy as Oliver or I was. That's what they really want to see. So, as long as you don't do anything crazily stupid, you'll be fine."

Oliver walked out from the kitchen then and said, "Thea, you're not helping."

Thea glared at her brother before saying, "Of course I am!"

He shook his head as he handed Felicity her glass of wine. "You really aren't." Thea rolled her eyes as Oliver sat down next to Felicity, draping his arm across her shoulders, before he told Thea, "Don't you have some business at the club?"

Thea stuck her tongue out before getting up while she told Felicity, "Everything will blow over in a few days, a week tops. Just lay low for a while. I'll see you both later tonight." Waving goodbye, Thea headed out of Felicity's apartment.

Felicity slowly drank her wine as she continued to look at the article. She didn't know how she felt about being followed and photographed for the past four years. She knew that when she started her relationship with Oliver, that she would be in the spot light. But she never thought that just being friends with Oliver would put a target on her back for the paparazzi. She never even knew that people thought she and Oliver were more than friends all those years ago, Oliver certainly never told her. She continued to worry her bottom lip as Oliver spoke softly, "Felicity?"

He didn't even need to ask a question for her to know what he meant. She looked up at him as she said, "I never knew. They've been following since we met. How did they know that we were even friends? No one else knew but us!"

Oliver took the article away from her and placed the magazine on the coffee table before he told her, "They're only job is to dig up the things no one thinks they can find. They're good at what they do."

Felicity groaned. "That's what worries me. What if they dig too deep and find out about what we do? What then?"

Oliver had been thinking about that too. He hadn't known that both of them had been being followed, sometimes he didn't even know when he was being photographed. But he knew that they had been careful especially since Felicity knew upgrades to the Foundry. "We've been careful. I make sure no one sees me leave. You have that fail-safe set up in the basement. We're always prepared. They won't find out."

Felicity leaned her head against his shoulder as she took in his words. She knew he was right, she knew that they were always (well almost always) prepared for the unexpected. She always had backups for their backups. Their secret wouldn't be found out. Taking in a deep breath she said, "You're right. I guess I just need to get used to being followed and photographed now."

Oliver threaded his fingers through her loose her, gently massaging her scalp as he said, "Do you want Digg to stay with you during the day for the next few days?"

Felicity shook her head as she looked at him and smiled softly. She spoke without really thinking, "No, it's okay. I have to get used to them eventually. They are going to be there for the rest of my life anyways."

It took her a moment to process what she had said, before she looked back up at Oliver with wide eyes, finally realizing what she had implied. She was about to backtrack, afraid that she might have spooked Oliver, when he smiled warmly at her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. "Yeah, you are kinda stuck with me, aren't you?"

Felicity smiled again at him as she leaned into his hand, teasing him, "And it can be such a chore sometimes. But there are benefits."

He started to lean in slowly as he whispered, "And what could those possibly be?"

She hummed softly as she nudged his nose with hers, "Well, there's the excellent wine for starters. And unlimited funds for my new computers and equipment, that's always a bonus."

She wrapped her hand around Oliver's neck as he chuckled at her. "Is that all I'm good for?"

Felicity shook her head as she drew him closer. "No, the best part is that I get to do this." With that she closed the distance between them and kissed him softly. It started out slow before Oliver gently pushed her back into her couch, letting his weight fall between her open legs, as he deepened the kiss. Their tongues glided against each other, Felicity bringing her legs to wrap around his as she rocked against him.

She knew that they had made a big step in their relationship, basically committing themselves to each other permanently. She knew without a doubt now that they were both in this wholly. If she really spoke her innermost thoughts, she had found her soulmate. They were forever entwined together. They would always be there for one another. Love each other until the end. Protect and accept one another.

Felicity knew that this was their defining moment. And if her life had been a movie, this would be the moment where Oliver would propose and they would have a happy ending. But her life wasn't a movie. They weren't ready for marriage, not yet. They would have close calls and they could possibly break the others heart unintentionally. Heroes didn't have happy endings. They had hard choices and difficult lives. But she was ready for all of that. She would stay by Oliver's side through it all.

As Felicity tightened her hold around Oliver, she knew that this was the beginning of something amazing. However, all that mattered at that moment was the man that was gently rocking into her as he unbuttoned her shirt. They had time to figure the rest out. Right then, all Felicity wanted to do was show Oliver how much she loved him.

_What's a soulmate?_

_It's like a best friend but more. It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It's someone who makes you a better person. Actually, they don't make you a better person. You do that yourself because they inspire you. A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever. It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did, or when no one else would. And no matter what happens you'll always love them. Nothing can ever change that._

_~ Dawson's Creek_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know this is probably the shortest chapter I've ever written so far. But I wanted to get something out there this week. The premier rocked. That's all I'll say. I took time from my studying to finish this. I'll come back to this topic in later chapters. I was going to do a really long chapter dealing with all of this, but like I said, I wanted to get something out to you guys. I hope that I'm not making this too OOC. I tried not to. But I'm exhausted and I still have more studying to do for my physics SPI board exam this Saturday. I'll have more coming out in the weeks to come when I have more time on my hands. Again thank you to everyone for all their wonderful support and love. Reviews feed the muse and always remember that if you have a prompt that you would like to see, send it my way and I'll try to add it in, in any way I can.**

Felicity still hadn't given Alex an answer and three days had already passed. She also still hadn't told Oliver about what Alex had said; his ultimatum. She knew in her heart that she would always pick Oliver over anything, anyone. Felicity didn't know what that said about her heart, but she knew that it wasn't supposed to be like this. She also knew that her behavior had been noticed by both Oliver and Diggle, although Diggle was the only one to actually ask her about it. Which she had thankfully been saved from answering by her phone ringing, to only realize with dismay that it was Alex calling. She had hurriedly left the room to let Alex know that she was still thinking about everything that he had said and to give her more time. She could tell that he had been hurt by her answer but he understood and told her that when she had one to call him. That had been two days ago.

Now though, Felicity knew that she needed to talk to Oliver. Worrying her bottom lip, Felicity waited for the meeting to end with the share holders in England. Usually she would be in there with him, but today she had ducked out, needing to prepare herself for this conversation.

Felicity nearly jumped out of her own skin when the door to the conference room finally opened, allowing several board members to leave. Taking the opportunity without looking back, Felicity walked into the room ready to take on Oliver. What she hadn't taken into account was that Diggle would be there as well. With her mouth falling into a slight 'o' shape, Felicity realized that she couldn't take on both Oliver and Diggle together. She knew that she needed to take on the toughest one first.

Both men looked at her as she stopped in the doorway. Diggle looked at her concernedly and Oliver moved forward about to ask her what was wrong. However, Felicity barreled ahead before she lost her nerve. Looking at Diggle she said, "I need to speak with Oliver." At his questioning look she finished, "Alone."

Diggle tensed at that, knowing that whatever had been weighing on his friend's shoulders was about to be found out. He didn't know why she wanted to tell Oliver alone, but he respected and trusted her enough for him to nod once, silently asking her if she was sure. At her slight nod, he told both them, "I'll be outside. I won't let anyone in."

As he brushed past Felicity she whispered a thank you before the door closed behind her. Oliver stood near the middle of the long conference table as Felicity stayed near the door. A silence fell over them as Felicity tried to remember everything she wanted to say. Oliver prompted her, "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Felicity had prepared a long speech on loyalties and how much she loved the work she did both for Oliver and _with_ Oliver, and how she wouldn't have it any other way. However her brain wasn't really working along with mouth because she suddenly bypassed the most important part of her speech and told him, "Alex asked me to marry him."

If she hadn't known Oliver so well, she wouldn't have seen the tensing of muscles under his suit. But she did know him, and she knew what was coming next. His mask that he wore for the public slid on as he smiled at her. It was his fake smile. "Congratulations. I'm happy for both of…"

Felicity shook her head though as tears pricked her eyes for both his reaction and what she was going to say next. "He asked me to stop helping you after office hours though. He said he knows we haven't done anything, but he doesn't like how much time I spend with you…how committed I am to you." As his other mask fell into place, the one of cool indifference, Felicity stepped forward, wishing she had started with her planned speech. "Oliver…"

Oliver, however, turned toward the pile of papers on the table and started to shuffle through them as he said emotionlessly, "I understand. You deserve to be happy, and…Alex makes you happy. I won't stand in the way of that."

Felicity wished he would look at her as she said, "Oliver, I didn't…"

But he cut her off as he said gruffly, "Digg and I will be able to function, don't worry about us. We'll just have to get used to it."

Felicity knew that this answer should have made her happy. She should be ecstatic that Oliver was saying these things. But it felt like her heart was breaking. Trying again to tell him that she didn't want to leave, she stepped toward him and touched his arm, "Oliver."

He drew it back though, out of her reach as he said, "I wish you guys the best. Let me know when the wedding is. I'll make sure to clear my schedule."

Felicity's eyes blurred with tears as she whispered desperately, "Oliver, don't do this." She didn't know why he was doing this. She didn't understand. Felicity knew in her heart that Oliver viewed her as one of his closest friends, possibly even his best friend. So she didn't know why he was pushing her away now. It didn't make sense.

Oliver shook his head as he said coolly, "I need to finish this paperwork, Felicity. If that's all you wanted to talk about, I should get started on it."

Felicity bit her lip, trying to stop the tears from coming. It felt like she was losing her family. Swallowing thickly, she whispered to him, "Okay." She turned around bringing her hand to her chest, trying to stop the sob that wanted to come out, as she walked toward the door to leave.

Oliver listened to Felicity's heels click on the floor as she walked away from him. He gripped the edge of the table in front of him as he tried to get control of his emotions and feelings, papers long forgotten. He had to let her go. She deserved to be happy, even if that wasn't with him. And Alex made her happy, the happiest she'd been since they met. What he wasn't prepared for though was the ache in his chest at the thought of losing her, of letting her go. He hadn't felt this pressure near his heart in years. He thought about what the rest of his years would look like without his Felicity. _His _Felicity. He didn't like how it looked and he knew he couldn't let her go yet. As he heard the door to the conference room open, Oliver couldn't stop himself from saying brokenly, "Felicity, wait."

Expecting to hear the click of the door close as she left, Oliver couldn't help but think of all the people that he had lost – of the ones that had left him standing alone (intentionally and unintentionally). But the door never closed. The conference room was filled with an almost deafening silence as neither of them moved or said anything, letting Oliver's words permeate through the space between them. Finally Felicity broke the silence with her own voice as it cracked with emotion, "Oliver…" In that one word she was begging him not to make this any harder. He had already made his choice.

Oliver finally turned around from the table and looked at her. She was still by the door, holding it slightly ajar, but looking at him with tears in her eyes. Oliver thought about lying, telling her that the team really did need her, that she was an asset, that she was invaluable for their mission. Anything to make her stay, to take back what he had just said to her, without revealing what he had slowly begun to realize. But he couldn't make himself do it. They hadn't kept secrets from each other since she became part of the team; he wasn't going to start now. But he didn't know how to tell her something that he was just realizing himself, "I…I,"

Felicity looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop her tears from falling as she said shakily, "Oliver, please, don't make this harder."

Oliver took one step forward as he finally knew what he needed to say. "I know. I don't want to. I don't want to hurt you either. But…I need you."

Felicity closed her eyes tightly as she said sadly, "Like you said, the team can function without me, Oliver."

Oliver took a step closer to her as he told her, "No. _I _need you, Felicity." He paused as he looked out the window, gathering his thoughts. Looking back into her eyes, Oliver told her gruffly, "Tommy isn't the only reason why I've changed. _You_ make me want to be a better person. You, along with Digg, brought me home when no one else could. You believed in me when no one else did. You always stand up for me, even when I don't deserve it. You challenge me and make me believe I can be the hero you see. But I constantly put you in danger. I'm dangerous. My life is dangerous. What we do is dangerous. And the only thing I want is for you to be happy and safe. You say that I've changed from the man everyone thinks I am, that you see the good in me. But the truth is I haven't changed. I'm still selfish and I don't like sharing. And I can't…I can't let you go. You're too important to me to just let you go without a fight. I don't know what our future holds. With our lives and what we do, I can't promise you anything. But I'll fight for you. I'll always fight for you, Felicity. Please, just don't leave me." Through his speech Oliver had slowly made his way to stand directly in front of her, mere inches away from each other.

Felicity looked at him with misted eyes as she bit her bottom lip. Oliver steeled his heart after a stretch of silence, readying for her to actually leave. Felicity smiled at him though, as she said softly, "I never wanted to. I'll always choose you Oliver."

Under different circumstances, Oliver would be kissing her in that moment. But he knew what sacrifice Felicity was giving. It meant that her relationship with Alex was over. He respected her too much to taint that memory. Because of his selfishness, Felicity was in pain and Oliver hated himself for that. He would do everything in his power to make up for it though. And eventually, when they were both ready, they would end up together. For now though, Oliver wrapped his arms around her as she wrapped hers around his neck, the door silently closing blocking out the rest of the world.


End file.
